Programming
by ProvingMyInsanity
Summary: Andi should have known the trip wouldn't be that simple. An unremarkable call from the Guardians leads Andi out to Frontier space in the ship she helped program the AI for, with her fellow Earthling GL, her old trainer and a rouge Red Lantern. And the periodic calls from her boss definitely aren't helping. Currently being rewritten because I realised how bad it is.


Tony pushed the door open, the heavy sound of alternative rock filling his ears.

"Andi?" He called, voice nearly inaudible for the volume of the music. A head poked out from under a table, blonde hair falling loose from a messy French braid. A hand reached out with a small remote, and she pointed it in the direction of the speakers. The music stopped, the quiet that followed almost void-like.

"Hi Tony." She grinned, getting to her feet.

"Why were you under the table?" Her grin turned sheepish and she held up her battered HTC One.

"Dropped it." She said, slipping it into her pocket. Tony rolled his eyes, stepping further into the office and/or lab, taking in the large set up of multiple green computer screens covering one wall, a few of the bottom ones displaying half written code and decorated with post-it notes. He glanced up at the top most screen, the tell-tale green circle that followed his movements showing that CAL was watching.

"You called?" He asked, turning to face her while continuing to slowly walk backwards.

"Yes, I did," She said, expression turning serious, "I have to go away for a while."

"Your second job?" He questioned, which brought a scoff of disgust from Andi.

"If you can call it that," She muttered, "More likely that one of the blue munchkins has accidentally pressed something they shouldn't and are panicking about it." Tony smirked at Andi's frustrated tone.

"Any idea how long you will be gone?"

"Nope," She replied honestly, shuffling her feet, "Hopefully just a couple of days, maybe less."

"You'll call me if the estimate changes." His words were more a statement than a question. She nodded, picking up her messenger bag from the chair beside her. One of the floor to ceiling windows was open, bringing the cold air whistling in. She walked over to it, standing right on the edge. As if it was an afterthought, she looked over her shoulder at Tony and CAL.

"Take care of him." She said, before allowing herself to fall forwards out of the window.

* * *

><p>Andi loved flying, be it through space or an atmosphere. She swerved round the corner of a hab-suite tower, going by in a streak of green. She saw the Guardian Chamber approaching and did a few loops and barrel rolls before landing at the entrance. Salaak and Kilowog were waiting just outside the door to the chamber.<p>

"Fancy flying little poozer." Kilowog commented. Andi scowled at his use of her old nickname from her days of training.

"Andi DeCortez of Earth." Salaak greeted, tapping something on his console.

"Salaak of Slyggia." Andi replied with a smile.

"How do you remember the name of everyone's home planet?" A voice came from behind her. She turned to see Hal Jordan stood looking at her with a slightly awed expression.

"It's only polite." She replied with a shrug. Salaak tapped something else on his console; greeting Hal in the same manner he had Andi.

"Kilowog! Hey buddy!" Hal turned to the Bolovaxian with a smile and a hand held ready for a fist bump. Kilowog remained stood with his arms crossed, "What's going on?" He questioned.

"You'll find out soon enough Jordan, just keep it professional. And definitely don't go looking for me to bail you out this time." Andi giggled.

"Ooh, you've fucked up Hal." She grinned, following the other Lanterns into the Guardian Chamber. The Guardians descended in through the open dome one by one, coming to a stop hovering above their platform just as Appa Ali Apsa began to speak.

"Green Lantern of Sector 2814, the Viceroy of Demrax 7 claims that when we assigned you to police crucial peace negotiations you punched him in the face. Is this true?"

"No sir, I punched the Viceroy in the stomach, then I head-butted him in the face, sir." Hal replied without a trace of shame. Andi sighed.

"Don't be a smartass Hal." She muttered under her breath.

"You would do well to follow your fellow Earthling's advice 2814." Appa cut in.

"But sir, the Viceroy was a serious dirtbag, using his diplomatic immunity to cover up his slave trafficking rings." Hal protested, stepping forward from parade rest and waving a hand for effect.

"The Council should note that Jordan's claims have since been proven true by Demrax authorities." Ganthet chipped in in a placating tone.

"That is not the point," Appa continued with a sneer, "This Lantern clearly seems to revel in exceeding his authority, ignoring our orders and making his own…" Appa's words were cut off by the dome opening and a Power Ring dropping in.

"Oh no." Kilowog mumbled, while Hal floated over and picked it up. Andi looked up at the Guardians.

"We can postpone Hal's lynching while we figure out what happened to one of ours, can't we?" She asked, taking the ring from Hal and dropping it onto Salaak's console.

"Salaak, who's ring is this?" Andi asked. Salaak displayed a picture of the rings former owner.

"Green Lantern M'Ten." He read from the screen. Hal and Andi looked to Kilowog. If anyone would know him Kilowog would.

"Never seen this guy before in my life." He said with a shrug.

"Salaak, display Guardian space." Salaak did as Ganthet bid, creating a hologram of Guardian space.

"There are 3600 sectors in Guardian space," Ganthet began, "For millennia we have dispatched our Power Rings to choose a worthy protector of each sector. You, our Green Lantern Corps."

"This part we know." Hal muttered to Kilowog, gaining an elbow to the ribs from Andi.

"Display homeworld of Frontier Lantern M'Ten." Ganthet instructed. Salaak tapped his console, causing the hologram to zoom out showing new sectors on the edges of Guardian Space.

"Frontier Lantern?" Kilowog questioned.

"This is the Guardian Frontier, the very edge of our territory." Sayd began, with Ganthet picking up after smoothly.

"We have seeded Lanterns there, but they are few and far between. The vast distance makes contact with the Frontier Lanterns sporadic, at best." He explained.

"Then who trains them?" Kilowog asked. _Trust him to ask about training_, Andi thought.

"They receive limited instruction from their rings. That is all." Sayd replied. Hal reached up and pointed to the circular lights on the map.

"What do these lights signify?"

"These are locations where operatives went offline. Those Power Rings are currently in search of new hosts or enroute back to Oa." Appa explained.

"It means they're dead." Andi said, furrowing her eyebrows.

"That is unfortunate but accurate."

"And you just sit there doing nothing." Andi accused.

"You do not even see fit to inform us of these Lantern deaths." Salaak said, waving his upper set of arms.

"There is nothing to be done right now," Appa began in an infuriatingly superior tone, "Flying at top speed you would not reach the frontier for 18 months. We are formulating a plan."

"There are Lanterns dying out there! We need to get out there and stop whoever is targeting them now!" Hal replied, anger and frustration on his face. Appa gave another sneer, pointing an accusatory finger at Hal.

"Let me remind the Green Lantern of Earth that the Guardians are not on trial here, he is!" Ganthet cut in in a placating tone.

"Appa Ali Apsa, it has been an eventful session, perhaps a period of refreshment required, or as our Earthling Lanterns might say, a coffee break." Appa relented with a terse nod. Hal, Kilowog and Andi followed Ganthet out, floating away from the Guardian Chamber.

"Good call Ganthet," Hal said with relief, "Another minute in there and I might have said something…" Kilowog cut over him with a scoff.

"Incredibly stupid? Yeah I think that ship sailed a long time ago Jordan." Andi noticed they had turned round the wrong corner, going in the opposite direction to the commissary.

"Hey Ganthet, we're going the wrong way."

"I thought we might enjoy taking a more scenic route." He replied, halting in front of a dome, which slowly opened to reveal a small ship. _The Interceptor_, Andi thought.

"What's that?" Hal asked.

"Oh that," Ganthet said with fake surprise, "Nothing really. An experimental prototype powered by the Green energy itself."

"The Interceptor is so fast we had to build an AI for the Nav Computer," Andi smirked at Hal and Kilowog's confused expressions, "I was part of the team that built the Interceptor, I and 3 others wrote the programming for the AI." Hal smiled and started to descend towards the ship. Kilowog grabbed his shoulder, pulling him back.

"I know that look Jordan; this isn't one of your Earth jet thingies." Hal swerved around him to hover in front of Ganthet.

"Look, I'll take her up and work the bugs out, then we'll fly to the frontier and we'll take care of the Lantern Killer." Ganthet looked away from him.

"I doubt that will come to pass," He began, "It is much too risky, and all Guardians must be in agreement. Some will doubt the very existence of this Lantern Killer."

"Then why show us this?" Kilowog asked as Ganthet began to float away.

"I told you my friends; we are simply taking the scenic route."

* * *

><p>"Are you sure he's coming?" Andi questioned Kilowog, tapping her fingers on her Lantern Battery.<p>

"Like Hal would pass up a chance like this." Kilowog said. Andi nodded, then straightened up from her slouch.

"I'll be on the ship." She told Kilowog, heading up the ramp. She headed down the hab-suite corridor, choosing the one at the end. After putting her Battery and bag away in the room she headed out to the bridge where Hal and Kilowog were already stood.

"Don't you ever stop?" Kilowog groused. The AI display flashed.

"New designation accepted: Aya." It spoke in a feminine voice.

"Aya, would you like to play a game?" Hal asked. _Nice reference_, Andi thought, going over to sit at one of the other consoles.

"What game?" She asked.

"This game is called Joyride."

"How does one play Joyride?" Aya asked, innocent as ever.

As Hal began to explain, Andi locked eyes with Kilowog and both rolled their eyes. After a couple of minutes they were in the air, flying at a reasonable speed around Oa. As they flew over the Guardian Chamber, the dome opened, the Guardians flying out and following the ship.

"Company's coming." Kilowog warned. All three GL's turned to see Appa bang on the window then point at the ground in a silent command to land. Hal turned to the glowing orb in the centre of the Nav controls.

"Initiate Ultra-Warp now." He instructed.

"Ultra-Warp protocols require at least 43 minutes to calculate." Aya replied.

"Aya, listen to me. Kilowog and I are Green Lanterns, we help people. Right now there's some other Green Lanterns in trouble at the coordinates I gave you."

"It is unsafe to bypass protocols." Aya said.

"Green Lanterns risk their lives to save the lives of others. Aya, please." Hal pleaded. Aya's orb was replaced by Ultra-Warp co-ordinates. The ship's battery charged up, causing the ship to vibrate. After a few seconds the battery impelled, sending the Interceptor shooting into an Ultra-Warp field. The ship shook as it travelled at high speed through the field. Aya popped up again with a warning.

"Warning. Bypassing protocols has resulted in unstable ultra-warp field. Disintegration imminent. Hull integrity at seven point seven five percent."

"Aya, can you convert to manual control?"

"Affirmative," She replied, "However manual control of a vehicle while in ultra-warp…" Hal cut her off with a sharp 'Do it!' The manual steering wheel popped out and Hal grabbed it, proceeding to hang a sharp right, slamming the side of the ship into the Ultra-Warp field.

"How is this better?!" Kilowog shouted from where he was being tossed about by the movement of the ship.

"If I can slow us down I might be able to punch through the Ultra-Warp conduit without breaking her apart." Hal turned the ship in a loop with the side against the edge of the conduit in an effort to reduce the speed. As the ship began to reduce in speed there was a bright light, then a boom like noise as the ship came out of the Ultra-Warp filed into space.

"Woah, Frontier Space." Kilowog breathed.

"I wonder what the odds are for me making my dinner with Carol." Hal mused, leaning back in his chair at the helm.

"A billion light-years from home, and that's what you're thinkin'?" Kilowog questioned with a smile.

"You must've really lost it for this girl." Andi added.

"What? No…" Hal began to defend, before Aya cut over him.

"Attention! I am picking up telemetry from a nearby Power Ring." Kilowog stepped over to a console and pressed a button.

"It's a GL! And Hal, whoever he is, he's alive."

"But not for long," _Trust Aya to be the bearer of bad news,_ Andi thought, "He is in a fire fight and losing." Hal and Kilowog returned to their chairs.

"Buckle up, people. This is now officially a rescue mission." Hal said with determination, directing Aya to head for the planet. As they arrived they noticed that the GL was under attack from two people in red and Aya fired the ships cannon at them, and then landed on a nearby mesa. Andi, Hal and Kilowog exited the ship before being shot out of the sky by three blasts of red light. They were thrown across the dusty ground of the planet but agilely ended up on their feet. Hal created a hand construct and grabbed the people in red, who easily broke it with their red light. They began to fire and Kilowog created a shield, which was quickly broken. The three GL's turned and flew away, with the ball shaped one shouting after them.

"Weaklings! Your feeble constructs are crushed beneath the Red Lanterns might!" They landed behind a broken piece of wall, Hal popping out to fire around it.

"Red Lantern! What the nortz is a Red Lantern!" Kilowog exclaimed. Andi shrugged.

"These guys I assume," She looked over the wall, noticing them getting closer, "We should move." She said, starting to fly off with her fellow GL's following. The newly named Red Lanterns gave chase, firing red light at them. Kilowog turned and shot a hammer construct at the ball shaped one, knocking him backwards. The humanoid one cut the handle of Kilowog's construct easily, shooting forward to punch him. Kilowog retaliated with a hit from his hammer. The Red Lantern was pushed backwards, but created a red laser and chased the retreating Kilowog.

"There!" Andi pointed, noticing the GL they were there to rescue. They landed, Kilowog creating a shield to hold back the Red Lanterns while Hal and Andi got the other GL safely behind a piece of broken building.

"I'm running low on charge; you have enough to get him out of here?" Hal questioned, checking his ring with a grim expression.

"A big shot GL from Oa, huh? Maybe I ought to be saving you." The Frontier Lantern commented, causing Andi to laugh.

"I'm Andi."

"Shyir." He replied, pressing a hand to his injured side.

"Kilowog, get the comedian back to the Interceptor, Andi and I will draw their fire." Andi looked at Hal incredulously.

"Oh will we now." She said.

"Hey Jordan, what do you want written on your tombstone?" Kilowog asked, picking Shyir up.

"And he spent the rest of his long life making sure his ring was charged." He replied before he and Andi came out into the open, shining a green light on the Red Lanterns to distract them. The humanoid one fired a shot of red at them. Hal and Andi turned at flew away, leading them in the opposite direction to Kilowog and Shyir. The Red Lantern's began to fire, and Hal pivoted, creating a mace construct that smashed a building, dropping it on the ball shaped Lantern. The other fired a shot which hit Hal square in the back. Andi followed him to the ground, dragging him out of the way when the Red Lantern landed where he had been lying. They stood, dodging another shot from the Red Lantern. Andi swerved around a punch and retaliated by elbowing him in the face. The Red Lantern swung out a forearm that caught her full in the ribs, throwing her away from him. He then turned, punching Hal in the face, who fell to one knee. Hal created a baseball bat, while the Red Lantern created a fiery looking sword thing. The Red Lantern swung it over his head, Hal catching the blow on his bat, which started to crack. His ring began to beep, so Andi created a bat of her own and hit the Red Lantern over the head with it. He turned to her with a snarl, trading blows while Hal got clear, heading back towards the Interceptor. Andi knocked the Red Lantern's sword aside, then hit him in the face again before flying off after Hal. They halted behind the corner of a building.

"Is your ring nearly dead?" Andi asked him. He looked at it grimly.

"Just enough for one last trick." He replied, creating a construct of him flying off in a streak of green. After a few seconds the ring died, reverting Hal to his depowered state. Andi picked him up under the armpits and carried him towards the ship, the Red Lantern quickly noticing and pursuing them. Kilowog arrived, hitting the Red Lantern out of the sky with a hammer. The ball shaped Lantern appeared behind Kilowog, blasting him with red light. The two Red Lanterns continued pursuing Hal and Andi, managing to knock them out of the sky. They landed halfway up the mesa leading to the ship.

"Go." Andi said to him, flying back up to fight the Red Lanterns, who quickly knocked her back out of the sky. Hal ran the rest of the way up the mesa, pursued by the Red Lanterns. As Hal ran he began the Lantern oath, finishing as he landed on the ships power battery. He turned, ring fully charged and created a large blast which threw the Red Lanterns out of the planet's atmosphere. Hal then went limp, collapsing on top of the ships battery.

* * *

><p>Kilowog was stood over Hal, arms crossed, when he woke in the ships infirmary.<p>

"Easy, hotshot. Think you're pretty clever charging you ring off the engine like that huh?" Kilowog asked.

"He's lucky he didn't blow his arm off." Andi said from where she was stood next to Shyir.

"It feels like I did," Hal commented with a wince, rubbing his arm, "What about…?"

"He's fine Hal, but he's gonna be sore for a long time." Andi replied, stepping back over to him.

"Where are our friends, ball and chain?"

"You're fireworks display sent them on a little trip," Kilowog explained, walking through to the bridge, "But I got a bad feeling we'll be seeing them again soon."

"As for now, we don't know," Andi continued, "Maybe we'll get back home in time for your date." Hal shook his head.

"Dinner will have to wait. We're here now, we fight them. We stop them."


End file.
